West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-12-09

monish then that financial panic,
to which tie present condition tends.
will be as disastrous to them as to
our other important enterprises.
Opportunity for safe and deliberate
reform is now offered: and none Of
us should be unmindful of a time
when an abused and irritated peo-
pie. needless Of those who have re
sisted timely and reasonable relief,
may insist upon a radical aud
sweeping rccti6cation of their
wrongs
A wise revision of our tariff laws
will require great labor and care,
and especially u broad and national
contemplation Of the subject, and a
patriotic disregard of such local and
selfish demands 3s are unreasonable
and reckless of the welfare of the en-
tire country.
Under our present laws more than
1000 articles are subject to a tariff
tax. May of these do not in any
way compete with our home manu-
features. A considerable reduction
can be made by adding them to the
free list. The taxation of luxuries
presents no features Of hardship;
but the necessaries Of life, the tax
on which adds to the cost Of living
in every home, should be greatly
cheapened.
The radical reduction OF the tax
on raw material is OF course an i'm
portant factor in any effort to re-
duce the price of these necessaries
of life; it would not only relieve
them of the increased cost caused by
the tariff tax on such material. but
the manufactured product, being
thus cheapened. that part of the
tariff now laid upon such product,
as compensation to our manufac-
turers for the present price of raw
material, could be according modi
fed.
A CONDITION. NOT A THEORY.
The question thus imparatively
presented for solution should be APP
preached in a spirit higher than
partizanship, and considered in the
light of that regard for patriotic du-
ty which should characterize the
action of those entrusted with the
welfare of the people. Both politi-
cal parties have by repeated decla-
rations condemned the condition of
our laws which collect from the peo-
pie unnecessary revenue, and both
parties have promised to correct the
evil. Our citizens are in no mood
to pardon the deliberate violation of
these pledges.
Our progress towards Il wise con-
clusion will not be improved by
dwelling upon the theories OF pro-
lection and free trade. This savors
too much of bandying epithets. 1t
is a condition which confronts us,
not q theory. Relief from this
condition may involve Il slight re-
duction of the advantages we have
awarded our home producers. but
the entire withdrawal of such adj
vantages should not be contemplate
ed. Tie question of free trade is
absolutely irrevelant, and the per-
sistent claim made in certain quar-
tiers that all efforts TO relieve the
people from unjust and unnecessary
taxation are schemes of so-called
free-traders is mischevous and far
removed from any consideration for
the public good.
The simple and plain duty which
we owe the people is to reduce tax
alton to the necessary expenses OF
an economical government, and to
restore to the business Of the coun-
try the money we hold in the treas
ury through the perversion of gov
ernmental powers. These things
can and should be done with safety
to all our industries without dimin-
ishing the opportunity for remuner-
ative labor, and with benefit to our
working men and all our people, by
cheapening their means of subsis-
tence.